28TH NOVEMBER.
ORION ACADEMY:
APHRODITE AND YUMI'S DORM ROOM.

THE ceiling was painted white but after staring at it for the last three nights--Aphrodite could find the ripped off paint, the hidden cracks and a bug even if there was no light. Neither her friends nor her could catch a sleep. The horrors of facing the nightmares were worse than not sleeping at all.

After that horrifying night, everyone thought it was for the best to spend Thanksgiving with their family. No one texted each other during those four days. But Aphrodite couldn't take it. She had lost her appetite. She almost threw up during the Thanksgiving dinner when she saw Josh's sad face because Jessica wasn't answering his texts.

Jessica's eyes followed Aphrodite everywhere. She could see them everywhere--in everyone. But her friends' eyes--Jessica wasn't in them.

When they returned on Monday, Aphrodite made her way to the cafeteria to find all of her friends sitting at their usual places. Their placid faces told her that she wasn't alone. And for a while, she managed to plaster a weak smile.

The students at the academy, however, were troublesome. The news about a missing girl on the campus amused them. It was all they talked about. Her disappearance wasn't noticed until three days ago when Joshua and his friends were going door to door asking where Jessica is. Her parents were called and they informed that she didn't come for Thanksgiving because she had a project. They showed the text to the cops but when none of her friends saw her, an official missing case report was filed. The cops came in and interviewed her parents, Joshua, Jessica's friends and almost everyone she knew.

None of Aphrodite's friends was on the radar. They were safe--at least for now.

The six a.m. alarm rang like every morning. Aphrodite switched it off and sat up on her bed. She turned her head to look at Yumi's bed. Yumi had kept her eyes closed and it was hard to tell if she was asleep or not. She looked peaceful and Aphrodite didn't wish to take that away.

She hopped out of her bed and began with her usual morning routine--starting from going for a quick run, followed by a shower, hair and makeup. She wore a black crop top, paired with white mom jeans and simple sneakers. She walked out of her bathroom to find Yumi waiting at the door.

Aphrodite began to make her bed and throw her books into her bag when she heard a knock on the door. She furrowed her eyebrows and opened the door to find Lex awkwardly running a hand through his hair. He met her eyes and spoke for the first time in the last few days.

"Hey." It was the first time they were alone after that night. The date they were so excited for never happened.

"Hi." She opened the door for him to enter. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, I just need your help," he said. "Could you maybe use your makeup to hide the eye bags? I'm face timing my mom today and I don't want her to see me like this."

"Ah, sure. Sit on my bed." Lex nodded and made his way to her bed. Aphrodite grabbed her makeup kit and stood between his legs. She mixed the two colours of her foundation on the back of her hand to blend a perfect shade that matched his complexion. After successfully doing so, she dipped the brush in it before applying it lightly against his skin.

"How are you?" Lex's eyes were on her. She simply sighed in response. He let out a dry chuckle. "Right. That was the wrong question to ask."

"I want to pretend that nothing has happened," she paused and dared to look at him. "But...I can't. It's too difficult." Aphrodite stopped in the middle of the process and let her hands fall, a frown appearing on her face. "My brother's girlfriend has supposedly gone missing and I'm doing nothing to make him feel better. I can't lie to his face."

Lex slid his fingers in her hands. "No one is expecting you to forget. And you don't have to pretend to be okay. Not in front of me, not in front of us. All of us are barely holding up but as long as all of us are in this together, we could get through this."

She nodded, squeezing his fingers. She shed a single tear and looked at him. "What made you do it?"

"What?"

"Well, clearly we all have our secrets. You know mine but I don't know yours. What is it? We can't be in this together if we have secrets that made us do this." This was the most unexpected thing she could say. Not knowing someone's past changes your perspective on them. Just take Yumi, for example.

He pulled his hand away, refusing to meet her eyes. "I...I can't tell you. You'll hate me and that's the last thing I want right now."

"Lex, I love you and there's nothing you could say that would make me hate you."

"I...can't. I am--" He stopped when the door opened and Yumi stepped out of the bathroom wearing an oversized grey hoodie and black leggings. She has been wearing similar outfits all this time. Anything that hides her, that makes her blend in.

Yumi paused to take in how they were standing.

Or I think--how close they were standing. But of course, who is asking me?

She bit her lips, grabbed her bag and left without a word. Aphrodite swallowed and turned to Lex and brushed the remaining foundation under his eyes. She kept the brush back in its place and took a few steps away from him.

"You still haven't told her, have you?"

Aphrodite shook her head. "I tried." She sighed. "But there's no point in hiding now anyways."

...

YumiI ran through the corridors of Grand Quarters as she pushed the other students away, not caring to apologize. She needed to find Aphrodite or Karan or anyone familiar. She had witnessed something and she needed to get it out of her system. Sweat was forming on her forehead, tickling down her skin. Her heart throbbed in her ribcage and she was in desperate need of air but after what she had just seen, she couldn't air.

Her eyes landed on a girl's back facing her. Aphrodite stood at the other end of the corridor talking to her brother's friend. Isaiah? Ismael? No, wait. Issac, yes. He looked as pale as a ghost. Almost like he was one.

Yumi neared Aphrodite and tapped on her shoulder. "I..I need to talk to yo...you."

Aphrodite sent a nervous smile to Issac and excused herself. She pulled Aphrodite in one corner and whispered, "The reporters are here. They're covering Jessica's story."

"I know." Aphrodite sighed. Yumi's eyes widened. "Issac just told me. They're following Joshua and harassing him. He wants me to check up on him."

"You should. I mean, I know it's hard but...he's your brother. He needs you to comfort him right now." Yumi's advice came from her personal experience but Aphrodite seemed unconvinced. She twisted the tails of her long blonde hair, refusing to meet Yumi's eyes. She added, "I lost my brother and I don't want you to lose yours."

Aphrodite's skin was covered with goosebumps upon Yumi's words.

"I will talk to him." She swallowed. She pulled her phone out and Yumi's eyes caught a glance of Joshua's name on her screen. Aphrodite's fingers hovered over the keyboard, unable to form words. She let out a long breath. "I can't."

Yumi took Aphrodite's phone in her hands and typed the first words that came to her mind. Wanna meet for dinner 2n8?

Aphrodite made a face of distaste. "I don't text like that." Yumi ignored her.

In two seconds, Josh had seen her text. The three little dots appeared on the screen. Josh answered, Can't. Rain check?

Yumi typed back, 2morrow?

You'll have a ton of questions for me tomorrow.

Aphrodite frowned. What was he implying?

Fine. Tomorrow, it is. He texted again.

Yumi sent a thumbs up and threw the phone back to her. Aphrodite furrowed her eyebrows. "Why would he say that?"

Yumi shrugged. "Maybe he thinks you'll ask about Jessica."

Aphrodite winced visibly. "Oh, no way. I'm avoiding that topic at all costs."

Aphrodite's phone buzzes again. But her phone wasn't the only one that buzzed. Yumi's did too.

And you know what that means.

...

ALAS, YOUR TASKS HAVE COME TO AN END.

ARE YOU FEELING ANY CONTENT?

WE HOPE YOU'RE EXCITED TO MEET US

SINCE WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO DISCUSS

~ the black hole

Ps. Never forget where it all began

header image by Priscilla Du Preez

I've been very disconnected lately and have been having trouble writing LTAM. hopefully, I'll get over this writing slump before I publish all the pre-written drafts.

how has your day been so far? let's chat!

note: previous comments may not make sense since I re wrote this chapter with a different approach.

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